Means for handling ear-corn



w. a. ECKHAIIDT. MEANS FOR HANDLING EAR CORN.

APPLICATION. FILED APR. I3, I918.

Patented Mar. 16,1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

R jay Q m I H INVENTOR ATTORNEYS W. G. ECKHARDT.

MEANS FOR HANDLING EAR CORN.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 13, 1918.

1,334,235. Patented Mar. 16,1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

W/T/VE E8 INVENTUR WEc/r/mmf v By will rie

MTi'lI'ILIAhM tit, EGKHARLD'I, 01? DE IKALB, ILLINOIEL tpeeraeatien nt Itetterslatent.

lF etented ill liar, ltd

.Zip-piieatien tiled hprii it, nae. heriai its. tithdititt item it may cencern: V

i even that l, Winnniir G. lien r the llnited fitetes, and

alh, in the county oi ile- "l*neis, have invented a eans :ter lendlinpf nlar-eerrn er which the tellevring is a hill, clear and enact descriptien. v

This inventien relates to the care, treat ment er handling elf car com, and has par,-

ier reference tn a means or method it a rrner er ether epereter may er h idle ear cern iresh "from, the iield er se as in insure the highest er inest 'isiac ery ts with respect te snr ansee melding, retting', senring er ey steer ineens. I

illhereas is Well lrneivn and iainentshite that neany iniiliens eii hnshels ei" cern arev lest er era ted he-canse et adverse Weather er lilre cenditiens, hy inesns st iny irnprerenient cern handling systems net enly can a main cern erep he erpeditiensly handled and pet npen the market very innch eariier than may nsnally he acceinplished, hnt ll alse preve that any Waste thet is incident in the nsnal senses is unnecessary and inencnsehle.

- lliiere speeiiicelly stated, ene ed the ehjeets et" iny inventien is te previde a storage receptacle te receive ear corn iresh ireni the lield any time aiter it is practically in red end. hence irrespective et the e nantity eat nieistnre that may he conit', means heing provided in cenneetien with the receptacle to rapidly and eliiectively drive nieistnre there'liroin se rendering the cern lit te he shelled er other wise pnt ripen the marlret er used tn the highest advantage 7 Anether ehjiect ei my inventien is its pro vide a stera g'e receptacie iter receiving ear cern'rrhile yet meist er imperfectly dried hy netnral means seid receptacie he'np; se eenthe ear cern received tl'ierein inest advantageens pesitien er eenditien' the te he driven er terced i rein it se the rneistnre tree-a the eern Will. he carried in such a directien as te net interliere With the periedic dcpesits ei tresh cern inte the receptacle ilrein dey te day, ineens er system heing pe enliariy adep ed ter tarmers use Wherehy expedient tor ene man to prednce and harvest. much more corn than heietetere er herehy the field work may he finished leng heiere there is danger eii less dne te snavr er te previde ter a more satistactery ntili- :ietien elf the grennd the hire,

lit is te he neted practice eli my in car varieties may lecaiities Where sheri'; whereby the yield er creased st leasti re et vast inipertanee censie efiert made along the Ilse, prednce. and censervatien,

Another ehjeet eif niy inventien is vide a receptacle ter cern that is preet against mice, rats, er ether vermin, as "Well as serving as e saieguard against soaring, melding, rotting, and also that is practically fireproof.

Another object (it my invention is to previde corn handling tacilities net enly de e0 signed to accommcdate the ineist er wet cern ter drying purposes, hnt having" facilities including a heating apparatus ter hasten ing the drying aetie: "when necessary end sheller arranged te rceeive previensly dried corn irern the s is reeeptecle in which the drying, eperetn is p with respect te leter re i stern the e cehs llreni the she delivered ei'r" directly inte the heating m paratns erso else he ntilirzed directly ter the pr dnctien heat utilised in turn either ier drying; apparatus er tier the preductien et pe'n'er te eperete the sheller or ether mechanism With the "foregoing; and ether chjects in view the inventien eensists in the arrange inent and comhinatien et parts hereinafter described and claimed, and while; the invention is not restricted to the enact details oi constrnctiondisclesed or suggested herein still for the pnrpese illnstratinpi pine .ter Wheel; er

thet the inn tical embodiment thereof reference is had to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same parts in the several views, and in which Figure 1 is a vertical section of one embodiment of my invention; and

Figs. 2 and 3 are horizontal sections on any suitable cross sectional form. As indicated there is provided a suitablefoundation or base 10 and a basement compartment 11 of suitable capacity to provide room for certain ap aratus or machines and work space for t e operator. This compartment 11 may be of any convenient height say for example ten or eleven feet and surmounted by a ceiling 12 suitably constructed, reinforced, or supported to constitute the main support for the mass of ear corn adapted to be received into the larger space or receptacle 13 above it. I suggest as an example of a practical size of structure for the average farm of :menmdred-sixty acres in the corn-belt, sixteen feet in diameter and with, a corn space in the rece little 13 approximately thirty feet in heig t. The vertical or side walls of the receptacle 13 as well as the floor or ceiling 12, except; as here{ after noted, are approximately air tight, but

the receptacle 13 is surmounted with a roof 14 having a cupola 15 of any suitable nature providing for free outflow of moisture laden air.

The fresh or wet ear corn may be de1ivend into the receptacle 13 by any suitable means and at any desired elevation above the floor 12. I have indicated, however, for this purpose a mechanical elevator 16 into which the corn ma'v be dumped or shoveled adjacent to the ground, as into a hopper 17, the elevator being provided with any movable carrying means of well known construction and adapted to deliver through a chute 18 through the roof 14.

' Within the bottom portion of the receptacle 13 I provide a false bottom or what may be termed hereinafter a hopper bottom 19 having several important characteristics in'addition obviously to the possession of the requisite strength to support the load imposed upon it. This hopper bottom is so shaped or inclined as to provide for automatic delivery by gravity of the dried corn -in any desired direction as for example down through the central outlet 20 directly to the receiving hopper 21 of a power sheller 22 located within the basement compart- The -- ken from the corn ment 11. The deliver spout 20 may be provided with any suitab e cut-off 23 to prevent the delivery of corn therethrou h except when desired. Since the hopper ttom is preferably inclined and is adapted to sustain the mass of corn directly thereon the may be as large as the necessary strength of the structure will permit and in all cases the corn, either ear corn or shelled, will be guarded from passing therethrough by means of ascreen' of heav mesh wire or the like covering the upper ace of the hopper bottom. Doors or manholes 25 may-be provided at any desired places to afford access to the receptacle 13 and any suitable doors or windows may be provided in the basement compartment as will be obvious.

The feature of greatest im ortance in the practice of my invention is' t e provision of rapidly moving currents of air, either fresh or heated, upward through the hopper bottom and all of the corn supported thereon, the air laden more or less with moisture taassing out the cupola. The structure of t e entire device, being somewhat like a chimney and having ractically tight sides adapts itself natura y and immediately to the accommodation of if not actually causing the ward draft toward and through the cupo a. The floor 12 is referably provided with aplurality of arge o nings 26 whereby air passes upward t erethrough into the air space between the floor 12 and the hopper bottom 19, thence the air passes freely through the holes 24 and upward throu h the interstices between the ears of corn. f the corn is not too wet and the climatic conditions are favorable the currents of air assing upward through the floor 12, induce by the chlmney like action of the "structure, may be sulficient to dry the corn. I prefer, however, to rovide air forcin of lowers 27 or the like located beneath or within hoods or funnels 28 having direct communication with the air holes 26. The pipes between the hoods 28 and the floor 12 are preferably provided, however, with dampers 29 to cut off communication between these two parts. Any suitable power means may be provided in or adjacent to the basement compartment and for this urpose I indicate at 30 a motor or engine of any suitable or well known type.

31 indicates overhead shafts adapted to be operated by belts or the like from the engine as indicated at 32 and said blowers means in the nature 12 will fill the air space above the floor 12.

and so will pass freely upward through the hopper bottom and the corn thereon, the air passing freest through the largest openings 2t near the bottom of the air space.

3% indicates any suitable type or construction of heater or furnace adapted for any or all of the following purposes. This device is preferably of such a nature as to provide heated air that may be conveyed therefrom through flues 35 directly into the connections between the funnels 28 and the door openings 26. These flues 35 may be provided with dampers 36 if desired which will normally be closed if unheated air only is being employed. If warm air only from the heater is employed for drying purposes the dampers 29 will be closed while the dampers 86 will be open, 01' both sets of dampers may be Wide open while the blowers are operative to force the largest volumes of air upward through the funnels and so induce more favorable circulation of hot air from and through the Hues 35 by a sort of injector action, the fines adjacent to the funnel connections being upwardly directed so as to reduce the likelihood of back draft from one connection to the other. Again, the heater may be of a construction suitable for the generation of steam, if the engine 30 is preferred to be a steam engine as it may be in some instances.

As above indicated I preferably locate the corn sheller 22 within the basement compartment at a convenient place to receive the corn direct from the hopper bottom through the chute 20 and hopper 21. The sheller may be operated by any suitable means, for instance through a belt 22 leading from one of the power shafts 31. The shelled corn will be delivered out through a spout or elevator 37 to wagons, cars, or other receivers while thecorn cobs and chaff may be conveyed throughthe conveyor 38 either directly into the furnace or at any point close theret for the purpose not only of disposing of the cobs, but for the economical and satisfactory fuel value of the same in the running, at least in part, of the heating apparatus.

As an indication of convenient means for operatingthe corn elevator 16 I show power connections 39 with one of the shafts 31 driven from the engine 30. Any convenient means may be provided to throw the elevator into or out of gear with the power devices for the purpose of the apparatus and from the outside of the building.

I claim:

1. In a corn handling apparatus, the combination of a relatively high and narrow corn receptacle having a perforated hopper bottom, the openings through the bottom being largest at the lowest portion thereof, means to prevent the corn from passing through. the largest openings in the bot tom, means to force a current of drying air upward through said bottom and all of the corn thereover, the corn at the bottom of the receptacle being thus rapidly dried irrespective of the condition of the corn near the top, means to remove the dried portion of the corn from the receptacle while fresh increments of moist corn may be delivered into the top of the receptacle, and means within the lower portion of the structure below said bottom to dispose of the dried product.

2. The herein described continuous corn handling apparatus comprising a relatively high narrow receptacle, means to deliver moist corn into the top thereof, power creating means within the lower portion of the apparatus below the corn to create and force a current of hot drying air upward through the corn, thus causing the lower strata of corn tobe quickly dried, the moisture laden air passing upward in the direction of the moist corn, means to discharge the dried corn from and through the bottom of the corn receptacle, means within said lower portion of the apparatus to receive and shell the corn thus delivered, and means to deliver the by-products from the sheller to feed said power creating means for conversion into power and heat, and all-self contained within the same apparatus and mutually cooperating with respect to the rapid, eflicient, and economical handling of corn.

WILLIAM G. EGKHARDT. 

